Marella Cruises is offering its first book lovers cruise with an all-inclusive 16-night Atlantic sailing on its adults-only ship, the Marella Explorer 2.
Sailing from Montego Bay, Jamaica on Apr. 19, 2022, this tailor-made cruise features guest talks and interactive workshops with authors and entertainers as it sails across the Atlantic Ocean before finishing in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Guests will be able to enjoy the usual Marella Cruises experience onboard with fully all-inclusive food and drink spots, evening entertainment including game shows and quizzes and daytime activities like dance classes and yoga.
“We have had successes with our Electric Sunsets themed cruises, and we are excited to introduce our first themed cruise for literature fans next year. It offers something different for guests onboard on a cruise where there are not as many days ashore as some of our other itineraries,” said Managing Director of Marella Cruises, Chris Hackney.
Authors and entertainers including Sarah Cruddas, famous for her knowledge of Space exploration, Tony Strange, known for his comic entertainment and impressions, and crime novelist Barbara Nadel, will all share their stories and some will run guided workshops for all guests onboard, at no extra cost.
Marella Cruises sets sail on international waters from Sept. 3 and the Marella Explorer 2 starts its Spanish sailings from Sept. 22, before heading to the Caribbean in November where it’ll homeport in Montego Bay for the winter season.
Marella Cruises has revealed details of its brand new itineraries sailing UK shores in summer 2021.
According to a press release, the Marella Explorer will set sail from Southampton on UK itineraries from June 25, 2021, sailing to new ports of call including, Belfast, Dublin and Liverpool.
The Marella Explorer 2, the cruise line’s adult-only ship, will also offer UK sailings from Newcastle from July 10, 2021, with even more UK ports of call.
“After pausing our operations for more than a year, we are delighted to announce our UK summer program and welcome our wonderful customers back onboard our ships. The safety and well-being of both our crew and passengers remain our priority which is why we have vaccination and testing protocols for all sailings from UK ports this summer,” said the Managing Director of Cruise TUI UK & I, Chris Hackney.
“Domestic sailings are a great step for the cruise industry and has given us the opportunity to take our customers to new destinations full of culture and history whilst still being close to home. We’re looking forward to this new adventure on the British seas and are dedicated to making sure our customers have the most memorable and exciting cruise with us,” he added.
The Marella Explorer will sail seven new UK itineraries during the summer 2021 season, “perfect for those looking to explore via sea the history and culture of some amazing British cities and towns,” the cruise line said. All itineraries will have recommended excursions from our onboard destination services team to offer guests options to make the most of their time ashore.
According to Marella, Sail the South Coast itinerary is a “great taster and for those new to cruising with a three-night itinerary from Southampton, visiting Dover for Canterbury Cathedral and Portland for the beautiful Abbotsbury Swannery & Gardens.”
“Cruisers looking for a longer break can experience the new Sail the Irish Sea. Departing in August from Southampton, it will visit popular cities including Liverpool, Dublin and Cobh in the Republic of Ireland,” the cruise line wrote.
Marella is also offering a number of Scottish itineraries, including ‘British Sights and Seas’ which will visit five Scottish hotspots. The history-rich itinerary has a day at sea before exploring Invergordon, the old historic town of Kirkwall and the rich culture of Leith and a visit to Edinburgh Castle before heading to Newcastle and then back down to Southampton.
A Taste of the West Coast will also see Marella Explorer sail to Greenock, the capital of Northern Ireland – Belfast and Holyhead before finishing the itinerary in Portland.
Anyone aged 18 years and older will be required to have had both COVID-19 jabs at least seven days before travelling. All under 18 year-olds, excluding infants under the age of two who will not be able to sail as they are exempt from testing, will be asked to have a lateral flow test.
All itineraries, except for those with Newcastle as an embarkation point, go on sale on April 16, Marella said. Newcastle sailings are expected to go on sale by the end of April.
UK sailings are available only for UK residents with a permanent UK address and a valid passport.
The cruise ship drydock market will be hot for 2021, as operators push scheduled refits and class surveys forward ahead of returning to service
Work scopes are expected to be mandatory class surveys, inspections, and technical and safety maintenance, as the majority of big projects scheduled for 2020 and 2021 have been pushed back, Cruise Industry News reported in its 2021 Drydocking and Refurbishment Report.
Without passengers on the ship, the drydocking is when the cruise lines pounce to make any changes ranging from repair to hotel and facility upgrades.
Among the cruise ships that recently drydocked is the 1,778-guest Marella Explorer 2. She is staying at Damen in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The Marella Explorer 2 has had her cabin ceilings and walls resprayed, bathrooms updated. Some of her suites got brand new solid wood floorings, and the Market Place got a contemporary resin floor.
The 2,600-passenger Sapphire Princess, which is operated by Princess Cruises, is currently drydocking at the Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore. The ship was previously scheduled for a drydock in April 2020, which got postponed after the start of the pandemic.
Finally, Dream Cruises’ 1,804-passenger Explorer Dream is not drydocking yet but will be between Feb. 19 and 25. The works will take place in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
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